EU leaders poised to agree on Palestinian aid plan

EU leaders were today poised to endorse a plan to resume aid payments to cash-starved Palestinians focusing on health, social services and utilities such as heating and sanitation, while maintaining a funding freeze on the Hamas-led government.

A draft statement from the EU summit in Brussels said the 25-member bloc “stands ready to contribute a substantial amount to the international mechanism”, which would channel aid to the Palestinians, but bypass Hamas.